The Courtship (Sherbrooke Brides 5)

“Naturally I would not let you ruin our family’s name, but you managed to survive the ship’s exploding and somehow get to shore.”

“But you didn’t make the ship sink. Even you couldn’t manage that, Father.”

“No, I hired one of the sailors to hit you on the head and throw you overboard, quickly and quietly. Then it would have been over, and your reputation of being a hero would be safe. The family would have been saved from disgrace.

“It was all arranged, but then there was the accident aboard your ship and it exploded before the sailor could find you. And then you were safe with your masters and I couldn’t get to you.”

Helen and Alexandra looked at each other. Sir John had fully planned to have his own son killed?

Helen said, “You honestly wanted to kill him because you discovered he was a traitor?”

“Yes, Helen. Gerard wanted money, and so he got it the only way he could. He betrayed his country. He went willingly and quickly over to the French. I don’t know how many secrets he sold to them, for he had the run of the Admiralty, as you can imagine, since he was my son. I discovered what he was quite by accident. The idiot left some papers he had stolen in his jacket pocket. His valet found the papers and brought them to me. I had no choice in the matter.

“I did my best by him. I puffed up the dispatches, had him made a hero, and then when I learned what he really was, I planned to kill him. There would be no dishonor for anyone. But he survived.

“Now, tell me, Gerard, was it indeed just the money that made you a traitor to all your family, to all that your father holds dear?”

Gerard remained on the floor. He didn’t look at his father. He looked at Helen, and there was murder in his eyes. “It was just a few ridiculous battle plans, the location of some troops and ships, names of towns where there were supply lines stored, that I sold to them, nothing of much importance. I gave them some names of men who were spying for England. Nothing much, again, I had to do very little.

“Of course I needed money. I had a wife. I had to support her. I had to pretend to want her after her dowry was gone. If I had only gotten her pregnant, then you would have given me half my inheritance. That is what you promised me.”

Helen looked at her husband and wanted more than anything to have his damnable throat between her hands. “Are you saying that that was the only reason you wanted a child? To get money from your father?”

“It was a great deal of money—ten thousand pounds.”

Helen just stared down at him, so much pain filling her, all of it pain for the innocent girl she had been. “But my dowry was ten thousand pounds. You spent that in two months. What was another ten thousand? Nothing much at all. You pathetic worm.” She raised her leg to kick him, then stopped. “I only wish your father had come to me when he realized you were a traitor. I would have helped him destroy you. I would have knocked you overboard myself.”

“You couldn’t have,” Gerard said. “You are a woman. They would not allow a woman on board ship.”

“Your mind,” Alexandra said slowly to Helen’s husband, “astounds me.”

Gerard preened.

Sir John gave Helen a look then that she didn’t understand. Was it admiration? No, surely not. He said slowly, “All of that was true, Gerard, but Helen is barren. And then because you have no honor, you became a traitor. Now, why did you write to Helen after eight years?”

“Dammit, I had to have money. When I heard about this lamp business, I decided to wait until she found it. Everyone in that stupid provincial town she lives in—Court Hammering—everyone speaks freely of it. Everyone believes she will find it, and very soon. I believe she has already found it.

“She had Lord Beecham with her and they went to this cave and came out with this strange iron chest. I knew the lamp was inside it, it had to be. They kept it close. They were secretive. Then Lord Beecham hared off to London. I knew they had found the lamp.”

“Listen, you idiot, if I had found the lamp and the lamp was magic,” Helen said very precisely, “I would have made you disappear with a mere snap of my fingers,” which she then did, right in front of his face. “But I didn’t make you disappear, did I? I couldn’t, unfortunately. Listen to me carefully, Gerard. There is no magic lamp.”

“You told me there was,” Gerard said. “You told me not above an hour ago that you would take me to it.”

“I lied.”

Sir John said then, “Enough about this ridiculous lamp. Of course she lied to you, Gerard. She wanted to escape you, and she would have if I hadn’t come.

“It is daylight now. I must hurry. Helen, I am sorry, as strange as that may sound, but you and your friend here must die. I wanted only to kill Gerard, once and for all, but I was unable to catch him alone.”

“You would kill three people?” Alexandra said, her voice incredulous. “Only a monster would do that, a monster who was truly evil, all the way to his soul. And to kill your own son? To prattle on about your honor? You are unspeakable, sir. You deserve to rot in hell.”

“I say, guv, the lady’s right. Ye ain’t much of a pa, and these purty littil pullets—well, ye shouldn’t pop them, guv.”

“Shut up, Ricketts. Now let me think. How will I do this?”

Alexandra moaned, clutched her belly, and fell to the floor in a dead faint. No one moved for a split second, then Helen cried out, and went down to her knees beside her friend. “Oh, God, Alexandra. What is wrong? You must wake up, please.”

“That was quite well done. You can get up now, Alexandra.”